Back in the early fifties, Duffy Livingston built a "street rod" in Los Angeles because that's all he had to work with. He had just got back from WW2 and really wanted to race a sports car. The street rod he built became known as the "Eliminator" and Duffy raced SCCA in the south west for many years, kicking ass on Ferraris, Maseratis, Cad-Allards and the like, costing ten times what he had built himself. After several successful seasons, Duffy sold the car and got involved the the then-new sport of go-karts, where his designs again showed the fast way home. Today they still have a trophy named after him. The original Eliminator got raced by others, and then stored. Brock Yates eventually bought it, restored and entered it in the race car class at the Pebble Beach Concours where it won 1st prize. The event was well covered in Car and Driver Magazine. Brock wrote a book about the car called "Hot Rod".
I just wanted to report that Duffy Livisngston is alive and well and living with his wife Dee Dee in Grants Pass, Oregon. Coming home from vacation last week, I tracked him down in his house a mile up a dirt road in a tree covered valley about ten miles out of town. He shared with me several stories about his original creation and stories of racing characters of that era. He graciously signed my book. He also has what appeared to be a large work shop and something he called "jist another race car" sticking out from under a canvas in the carport. Duffy must be in his 80s by now. May he live forever in the legend he created.
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